Community Meets Luxury
Sleight Farm’s blog about building a custom home and living in Dutchess County, NY.
How to Commute from Dutchess County to New York City
May 25, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed so many things in a short period of time, including where and how we work. Millions of people have suddenly found themselves doing their jobs from home.. As we move forward, will part- or full-time telecommuting become more widespread? Many experts are predicting just that. One positive side effect for employees: the ability to relocate to an area considered too far away for daily trips into the office.
Here at Sleight Farm, we’ve been getting much interest from residents of the New York City metropolitan area, seeking a balance between a Hudson Valley “country” community and living close enough to the city for semi-regular commuting. Based on our experience, as well as advice from Sleight Farm area residents, we’ve put together a guide to traveling from the LaGrange/Poughkeepsie region to Manhattan and other locations.
Commuting by Train from Dutchess County to New York City
Sleight Farm is located just 15 minutes from the Poughkeepsie train station, which has plentiful parking and services both Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad.
Metro-North is often the chariot of choice for Poughkeepsie commuters, since it’s less expensive and has more departure options (over 20 each day). The Hudson Line train stops at 125th Street and Grand Central Terminal, which makes for an easy ride if you’re headed to a destination in Upper Manhattan, Midtown, or the East Side. Travel time to Grand Central Terminal runs about 1 hour and 50 minutes. An added bonus: Poughkeepsie is the beginning of the line, so the trains always leave on schedule.
Amtrak, by comparison, has far fewer departure times, is a bit more expensive, and can potentially run late since the trains come from farther north. Still, some commuters – especially those who travel to NYC only occasionally – prefer it. The trains make fewer stops, completing the journey in 1 hour and 25 minutes. The seats are generally more comfortable and offer power outlets; there’s also WiFi available. Amtrak delivers passengers to Penn Station rather than Grand Central, which makes for a quicker door-to-door trip to Lower Manhattan or the West Side.
Commuting by Car from Dutchess County to New York City
If you’re a commute-by-car person, you’ll be glad to know that most of Dutchess County is conveniently located close to the Taconic Parkway. Sleight Farm is just 10 minutes from the nearest on-ramp, and from there it’s an average of 90 minutes to Midtown or Lower Manhattan. Upper Manhattan areas like the Bronx are about an hour away.
Here’s our estimated driving time to other likely work destinations:
Albany: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Danbury: 45 minutes
White Plains: 1 hour
Newark: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Brooklyn: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Queens: 1 hour, 30 minutes
As telecommuting options empower more and more people to live where they want to, we look forward to meeting new visitors to Sleight Farm and helping home buyers find the best of both worlds!